Protesters take police hostage in Peru

[Judi Lynn]

Protesters take police hostage in Peru
Protestors on the Pan-American highway in Peru have taken police officers hostage, demanding a larger share of mining taxes from Congress.

Author: Diego Ore
Posted: Wednesday , 29 Oct 2008

LIMA (Reuters) -

Thousands of protesters in Peru's Moquegua province took three police officers hostage and blocked a bridge on the Pan-American highway on Tuesday to demand that Congress give their province a bigger share of mining taxes.

The protesters snarled traffic along the main road to the neighboring province of Tacna, and to Chile.

Moquegua and Tacna provinces are locked in a dispute over how to share mining taxes, paid mostly by Southern Copper Corp , a unit of Grupo Mexico and one of the world's largest mining companies.

Four policemen were wounded, and three of them were taken hostage, said Emilio Contreras, a police colonel. Community leaders said at least 10 people were injured when police fired tear gas into the crowd.

~snip~
Despite seven years of fast economic growth, some 40 percent of Peruvians live in poverty and critics say Garcia is facing protests because a boom in mining exports has yet to trickle down to the poor.

More:
http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page504?oid=71654&sn=Detail